0 PAN Officials Defend Hatta Over Century Rumors

The National Mandate Party strongly denied rumors that the party’s chairman, Hatta Rajasa, received Bank Century bailout money. Previously, several members of the House of Representatives’ committee investigating the case visited former Democratic Party chairman Anas Urbaningrum at his house, to dig out new information related to the case. Syarifuddin Sudding, a member of the special committee and a legislator with the People’s Conscience Party (Hanura), said on Tuesday that Anas disclosed that an active official was involved in the case. 

According to Syarifuddin, this was the first time the official had been mentioned with regard to the case, but refused to reveal the person’s name. “From what Anas told us, it led to one new person who is not a member of the [Bank Indonesia] board of governors. That person is an active official,” he said. “I received many SMSs [text messages] from the regions asking whether Hatta received the money. I am 1,000 percent confident that Hatta never received Century funds,” PAN lawmkaker Tjatur Sapto Edi said at the parliament building on Wednesday. 

Another PAN politician, Viva Yoga Mauladi, said that he had checked with Anas about the rumors and Anas said he never mentioned Hatta’s name to the members of the House committee investigating the case. “I went to Anas’s house at 11 in the evening [on Tuesday]. We met. I asked him directly about the truth to the news that linked Hatta to the Century case. Anas firmly stated that he never disclosed the recipients of the Century fund when the committee members came, including Hatta’s name,” Viva said. 

Viva said he suspected that the rumors were spread intentionally by a party who wanted to see Hatta and Anas clash, and that the accusation against Hatta was slanderous. “Anas and Hatta have a really good relationship,” Viva said. “The good relation is normal and out of respect between Anas being a junior and Hatta a senior at HMI [Muslim Students Association]. “This is also because Hatta is a member of Kahmi’s [Islamic Students Alumni Association] board of advisers. Efforts made to pit them against each other is not right,” he added. Anas told the committee members that he wanted the Century case to be resolved soon.

source : the jakarta globe